Modi is an OBC, says Gujarat govt citing 1994 notification

Ahmedabad, May 8: Responding to Congress charge that

was a "fake" OBC,

government today cited its two-decade old notification which says the Modh-Ghanchi (oil-pressers) caste, to which Modi belongs, was included in Other Backward Castes (OBCs) category.

"The Social Welfare Department of the Gujarat Government had passed a notification on July 25, 1994 which included 36 castes as OBCs and at number 25 (b) Modh-Ghanchi caste has been mentioned to which Narendra Modi belongs.

The caste has been included amongst OBCs," Nitin Patel, the state government's spokesperson, said. Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil said earlier in Delhi today that Modi was "a fake OBC". Patel pointed out that the notification was issued way back in 1994 when Congress was in power in the state. "When Modi's popularity is at a peak, Gujarat Congress leaders are misleading the people. The state government condemns such an act," he said.

Gohil released copy of a Gujarat government's circular to claim that Modi indulged in some manipulation to include his caste in the OBC category after he became the Chief Minister. Congress launched this attack following Modi playing the caste card to counter Priyanka's "neech rajniti" barbs, saying Congress was targeting his lower caste origins.

"Modi does not belong to Other Backward Castes (OBC) as he has been claiming to exploit OBC votes. He belongs to rich and prosperous Modh Ghanchis who were never given any kind of reservation nor were included in OBCs before Modi became CM. Like the fake encounters in Gujarat, Modi is also a fake OBC," Gohil said. Quoting Gujarati lexicon Bhagvadgomandal', the Congress leader said Modhs are rich people living in a particular village and Ghanchis belong to the prosperous trading class.

PTI